A protein in nerve cells holds out hope for treating Alzheimer's and other mental diseases, Italian researchers believe.

The protein, known as CNF1, could also sharpen mental skills in healthy people, the researchers hope.

CNF1 - discovered by Italian researchers in 1983 - has been shown to improve learning and memory in lab rats, say neurologist Giovanni Diana and cell microbiologist Carla Fiorentina of the Higher Health Institute.

According to their study, published Thursday in top US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, CNF1 boosted cell capacity and nerve connections in the lab rats.

It did this by bolstering and lengthening tendril-like cell components called dendrites, which reach down neurons to all-important signal points called synapses.

Dendrites are stunted by Alzheimer's, while they are fewer and shorter than normal in the mentally handicapped.

"The transmission of data between nerve cells was quicker and the synapses became more dynamic," Diana said.

"This study holds out hope for a string of degenerative diseases," Fiorentina said.

"It might also boost mental capacity in healthy individuals," she added.

Fonte: ANSA e ISS (Istituto Superiore di Sanita')